`Let the People Vote' brings constitutional reform push to Capitol

Sunday

May 13, 2007 at 12:01 AM

If you're driving by the Capitol in Montgomery about noon Wednesday and see some young men and women on the steps, they'll be reading the Alabama Constitution. And it's a long one.The young men and women will be college students who will be reading from the oft-amended 1901 document to urge legislators to "Let the People Vote" whether to hold a constitutional convention to rewrite the constitution, according to Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform.The students are members of the College Council for Constitutional Reform.Matthew Lewis, co-organizer of the council, said the state's constitution "holds our state back," according to a statement from the Greater Birmingham Ministries.The "Road Trip for Reform Rally" speaking roster is scheduled to include House Speaker Pro Tem Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham; Sen. Ted Little, D-Auburn; Scott Douglas, executive director of Greater Birmingham Ministries; Lenora Pate, co-chair of Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform; Jim Nash, chairman of the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation, and Portia Shepherd, co-organizer, College Council for Constitutional Reform and a former Miles College Student Government Association president.On the Web at www.constitutionalreform.org.

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to attend a campaign stop in Tuscaloosa on May 9 at the Bryant Conference Center, said Tuscaloosa County GOP secretary John Merrill. The event at 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. is free but advance tickets are required for admission, he said. Merrill said two ways to get a ticket are to call 205-534-6745 or go to the Web at IwanttoseeRudy@tuscaloosagop.org or click on www. tuscaloosagop.org for a link.

Members of a Chinese provincial congress visited Alabama last week, meeting with Gov. Bob Riley and Alabama legislators.Riley went to Hubei Province last year on an economic development trip and invited the delegates to Alabama.They took him up on the invitation."This visit is important because it helps us strengthen ties between Alabama and one of the world's fastest-growing economies," Riley said in a statement.Riley's 2006 trip was the first by an Alabama governor since 1984 when Gov. George Wallace visited China. The delegates toured Alabama legislative offices Thursday.Although the Legislature wasn't in session, they did meet state Reps. Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, and Mac Gipson, R-Prattville.Riley said Alabama and Hubei Province have a "sister state" relationship that emphasizes friendly relations and economic cooperation in agriculture, forestry, and biotechnology."There is excellent potential for Alabama products to be sold there and to further strengthen the economy of our state," Riley said.

The national group Pre-K Now cites Alabama's proposed 75 percent funding increase for voluntary pre-kindergarten school readiness as a positive step in education.The group said Gov. Bob Riley's proposal to increase pre-K funding by $3.3 million, to $7.7 million, is one of 29 gubernatorial proposals to make pre-K funding a priority this year.Nationwide, if the 29 gubernatorial proposals are approved, more than 100,000 pre-kindergarten children will be given a chance to enter kindergarten prepared, Pre-K Now said.The group said 76 percent of Alabama voters think the state should fund voluntary pre-K. The poll was by the Alabama School Readiness Alliance.

Divergent climate and greenhouse gas views aren't getting much public notice in Alabama, a scientist said.Roy Spencer, a principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, told the Huntsville Times he's in the minority in believing the Earth is not headed for a global warming disaster.The Times said Spencer believes no one knows how climate change happens."We see something change in our climate and we blame ourselves," the Times quoted him.Other environmental views aren't being published in Alabama, said Michael Ciamarra, vice president of the Alabama Policy Institute.The API held a conference on Alabama's environment last week in the RSA Tower in Montgomery.The API said Alabama's environment, including water and air, is improving compared to 30 years ago. The conference didn't specifically deal with global warming or greenhouse gases."While problems still exist, the environment, as a whole, is becoming cleaner," said John Hill, author of the report and director of research at API.He said he used data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and other government agencies.A report is at www.alabamapolicy.org.

Quote of the Week: "The consequences will be catastrophic," Gov. Bob Riley said at a hurricane readiness conference of a Category 5 hurricane hitting the Alabama coast.

Speaking of the environment, three Alabama non-profit environmental groups have job openings, according to the Bama Environmental News newsletter.BEN said the Ruffner Mountain Nature Center seeks an administrative assistant. It's at www.ruffnermountain.org on the Web. The Alabama Environmental Council needs an executive director. Look it up at www.aeconline.ws.And the Alabama Rivers Alliance needs a watershed leadership coordinator. It's on the Web at www.alabamarivers.org.

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